


Life Outside of the Shadows

by TreeOfLife1997



Category: Merlin (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:34:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23309221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TreeOfLife1997/pseuds/TreeOfLife1997
Summary: Begins at the end of series four.When Merlin reveals his magic to save the life of Isolde, has he just sacrificed Albion's Golden Future? Or has he just began the New Age? Arthur and the knights must come to terms with Merlin's magic. So, with a little help from Taliesin, they watch Merlin's adventures. And with a new form of dark magic rising, will all be learnt before all is lost?
Relationships: Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Isolde/Tristan (Merlin)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 8





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Begins at the end of series four. 
> 
> When Merlin reveals his magic to save the life of Isolde, has he just sacrificed Albion's Golden Future? Or has he just began the New Age? Arthur and the knights must come to terms with Merlin's magic. So, with a little help from Taliesin, they watch Merlin's adventures. And with a new form of dark magic rising, will all be learnt before all is lost?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who also reads stories on ff.net, this story may seem familiar. Don't worry, I'm not stealing someone else's story! This story is mine, I'm slowly moving all my works over to this site too! I'm also editing it as I go, as I wrote this story back in 2014 and I'd like to think my writing ability had improved since then! So, there may be a few differences :)

Tristan sat with his back against one of the pillars in the throne room. In his arms lay Isolde, her breathing was faint and she was losing her life slowly. Her wounded side waw causing a bloody puddle to form under her, as he lifeblood dripped to the dusty ground. She fought hard to stay those last few precious minutes in her lovers' arms.

Behind them, Arthur stood watching unable to do anything to help. Isolde had taken a strike meant for him and he knew, had she not, it would have been him bleeding out on the floor in her place. He was helpless to do anything and he had never felt so powerless. He was the King, yet he could do nothing to save the woman who had just saved his life.

It was at that moment, Gwen and Merlin burst into the hall having made it back from trying to find Morgana. On their heels were the Knights of the Round Table and Gaius, who was only standing thanks to the support of Gwaine and Percival.

"What happened?" Merlin asked, disbelief colouring his tone.

"She saved my life," Arthur answered, unable to shift his gaze from the scene playing out before him.

Gwen made her way over to him and gripped his hand, Arthur squeezed her hand in return. And it was in that moment Arthur realised he had forgiven her the moment he'd seen Isolde laying in Tristan's arms. Watching Tristan hold the love of his life dying in his arms, had made Arthur realise he couldn't live without Gwen and if anything were to happen to her… Arthur didn't know what he'd do. He was just thankful nothing had happened to Gwen during her time in exile, Arthur would never have been able to forgive himself if something had befallen her.

He knew now he definitely couldn't live without her.

Merlin and Gaius shared a look and Gaius shook his head at Merlin's questioning gaze. Merlin's face fell, it was too late to save her. She had lost too much blood, even if they could stop the bleed at that very moment, she was too close to death. There was nothing that could be done. There was no hope for her. Merlin turned back on the scene as Tristan let out a pained cry and bowed his head over Isolde body. Tears rolled down Tristan's cheeks, as he mourned the loss of his love.

Merlin let one tear roll down his cheek as he remembered how Freya had died in his arms all those years ago, the pain was still as raw as the day it had happened. He would have given his life for someone to save her from that fate, a fate she had not deserved. Merlin knew just how Tristan must have been feeling in that moment like his heart had been ripped out his chest and trampled over until nothing remained but a frightful mess, as he himself had felt it before.

Merlin suddenly snapped his fingers getting everyone's attention, even Tristan's, as an idea formed in Merlin's mind.

"Wait here," Merlin grinned. "I know a way to save her."

With that Merlin raced out the throne room.

"Merlin, I beg of you, do not do this," Gaius called after him.

"What's he going to do?" Elyan asked, frowning.

"Something stupid," Gaius replied, leaning on Gwaine, who was still supporting him, with the help of Percival.

Leon looked at Tristan and Isolde.

"But she's dead," He said confusion furrowing his brow.

Gaius just nodded.

)o(

Merlin raced through the halls of the castle, heading straight towards the dungeons. As he half runs, half falls down the steps to the dungeons in his haste, he calls the guards already on duty to follow him. They may have only just reclaimed the city, but already the cleanup had begun and those employed by the Royal household were returning to their posts. Knights and soldiers were no doubt tracking down and killing the last of Morgana's men, behind the city walls. By the end of the week, Merlin knew the castle and city would more or less be back to normal.

He finally came to a halt in front of one of the cells. Within the cell, was a man, who had killed close to fifty women and children. He had been caught by the knights only a couple of weeks before Morgana took over. His sentence was death, he was to hang until dead.

"The King has ordered that this man be brought to the throne room," Merlin lied. "Now!"

The guards quickly unlocked the cell and pulled the man with them, unwilling to go against the supposed orders of the king, even if it did seem like an awfully unusual request in the wake of reclaiming the city only moments before. As Merlin led the way back to the throne room, he couldn't stop the nervousness which was rising within him, but it was too late to stop now. He was determined to spare Tristan the pain of heartbreak, even if it meant revealing his powers. As he entered the throne room, everyone simply stared at him, then the prisoner and guards behind him and then back at Merlin.

"Merlin!" Arthur demanded, taking a step forward and letting go of Gwen's hand. "What is the meaning of this?"

"To bring Isolde back to life, a life must be taken," Merlin explained. "This man is the only one I know who does not deserve to live."

"Merlin," Gaius pleaded. "Do not do this."

"I have to Gaius, I have lived in the shadows for too long. I have watched people die and stood by and done nothing, even though I had the power to save them," Merlin smiled sadly. "Imagine if this was Alice. Would you not want someone to save her? Years ago, I watched as the woman I loved died in my arms and I was unable to do anything but watch as the life slipped out of her. I would have given anything for someone to give me this chance."

Gaius nodded his head, "Whatever happens, my boy, I'll be proud of you. I know your father would be proud too. You mother always did say you had the kindest heart."

Merlin smiled, "Thank you, Gaius, that means a lot."

Merlin spun on his heels and walked over to Tristan and Isolde, "I'm going to need her for a moment. I cannot promise if this will work, but if it does she will live once more."

Tristan smiled slightly, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Thank you."

Merlin glanced at him for a moment, it was almost as if he knew what Merlin was about to do. Taking Isolde's body, Merlin carried her to the middle of the room and laid her down as gently as he could, trying to ignore the way her blood was still warm against his hands. Across from him all his friends stood and watched, their confusion evident and Tristan quickly joined them. The guards were now gone, leaving only the prisoner on his knees, having returned to their post. Merlin quickly stood up and took a step backwards. Taking a deep breath Merlin held out his right hand and spoke in the language of the Old Religion. There was a flash of light as his eyes burned gold and the Cup of Life appeared standing on the palm of his hand.

Alarmed shouts filled the hall and Merlin's eyes flashed again, freezing the Knights and King in place. He could not let them interrupt him of Isolde would be lost forever. Merlin smiled slightly as he took the cup it in both hands, he hadn't been a hundred percent certain that he'd be able to summon it from where he'd returned it to the druids for safe keeping. He held the cup above his head and shut his eyes, before yelling the words of the needed spell, which echoed around the hall. His eyes burned gold under his eyelids and all the windows within the hall exploded outwards, due to the power suddenly unleashed within the hall.

Outside the clear sky clouded over, as the wind picked up and howled through the now shattered and broken windows. Then the angry grey skies open. Rain poured down like a waterfall, a sudden bolt of brilliant white lightning shot through one of the broken windows and struck the prisoner, reducing him to a pile of ash. The winds outside suddenly changed direction, causing the rain to fly through the destroyed windows. As the rain filled the cup in Merlin's hands, he opened his eyes. They glowed a gold so bright, it almost burned just to look at them.

As the cup filled, Merlin lowered his arms, the wind and rain both stopped, and the sky cleared. Merlin knelt beside Isolde and raised her head and gently tipped the water from the cup into her mouth. Sitting back on his heels, Merlin held his breath as he silently prayed to the God's that the spell had worked. After a couple of seconds, which seemed to drag out like an eternity, Isolde started breathing. Merlin smiled and looked up and meeting the gaze of Tristan and he nodded. Tristan quickly rushed forward and took Isolde in his arms. Merlin got up and stepped backwards just as Isolde opened her eyes.

Tristan kissed her forehead.

"I thought I had lost you," Tristan whispered.

"I… died. What happened?" Isolde asked, blinking as if she had just woken from a deep sleep.

"A friend saved you."

Merlin turned his gaze to meet theirs, Isolde offering Merlin a weak smile as she worked out it was him who had saved her. Letting the Cup of Life slip from his hand, it vanished in a flash of light before it even had a chance to hit the ground and Merlin knew it had returned from where he had summoned it from. Glancing towards where the Knights and Arthur were still frozen in place, Merlin met Gaius' gaze. His mentors gaze was full of pride, as well as fear, fear for Merlin's safety. Merlin half-smiled, shrugging one shoulder.

He quickly turned away however, he couldn't bear to look at the others, he was too scared of what he would see. No doubt Arthur believed him to be another traitor and Gwen had shown such fear when she'd found out Morgana had magic and as for the knights... Well, Merlin wasn't sure what they would feel. It was then Tristan looked up at Merlin, to tell him to flee, that he and Isolde would find their own way out of Camelot and he was just in time to see a man dressed in purple and grey robes appear behind Merlin, his face hidden by his hood and in his right hand was a tall black staff, which seemed to radiate power.

"Merlin!" Tristan called out in alarm.

Merlin met his worried and slightly panicked gaze, as the hooded man placed a hand on Merlin's forehead and muttered a strange word. Merlin's eyes rolled and he fell sideways towards the floor. The hooded man caught him and lowered him to the floor. The sound of swords being drawn echoed through the halls, as the spell Merlin had cast to hold Arthur and the Knights in place was broken upon him falling unconscious. But the hooded man and Merlin vanished in a whirlwind before anyone could even get close.


	2. The World You Seek to Build

Merlin groaned and opened his eyes, feeling slightly disoriented. Sunlight greeted him and he winced against the harshness of the light as he blinked. His eyes adjusted and he sat up and looked around, his gaze sweeping over the world around him as he tried to work out where he was. He was sat close by an old bridge made of wood, which looked almost rotten. Close to the bridge, there was a small fire with a pot steaming above it, cooking some sort of stew by the smell of it.

"Ah, Magic, you are finally awake, I see." A voice greeted him from the other side of the fire.

Merlin looked up to see Grettir standing there.

"What am I doing here?" Merlin asked, realising he was by the bridge to the Perilous Lands, aka the Land of the Fisher King.

Grettir smiled slightly, "it is time you fulfil your destiny, Magic."

"My destiny is to protect Arthur Pendragon, he is the Once and Future King," Merlin answered with a slight frown.

Grettir shook his head, "the Morgana you knew is dead, she was mortally wounded. With the last of her magic, she fled to a place hidden deep in the far mountains and spilt her blood on the cursed stone."

"The cursed stone?" Merlin questioned as he moved to sit closer to the fire, he'd never heard of such thing.

"It once belonged to a powerful sorcerer, who was known to have practised the darkest of the Dark Arts of Magic. Not even Morgana would have had the strength to wield such power, for it forces the old religion out of balance and forcing it to abide his will. Very few have the power to achieve such a feat, Magic, even a being of pure magic such as yourself would struggle, for you yourself would feel the repercussions of the imbalance. When she spilt her blood on the stone, it reawoke the long-dormant magic held within it. As her life left her, the magic from the stone was absorbed into her, granting her life once more. But the power is corrupt and twisted, the Morgana you once knew is gone, for she is forever changed by this power. She will descend into a madness none will be able to save her from, not even you, Magic."

Merlin shut his eyes and a shakey sigh left him. A part of him had still hoped Morgana could change, that she would see Arthur was not like their father... That, if she simply stopped and took a moment to speak with her half-brother, peace could be achieved between them for the better of the kingdom and magical kind. Because, every time Morgana attacked, it hardened Arthur's heart to magic and made Merlin's job ten times harder. How was he supposed to help Arthur create the Golden Age if at every turn the progress made was torn down?

"Your destiny had changed, Magic, as a result. You must embrace it, or all of Albion will be lost."

"Changed how?" Merlin asked.

"You no longer protect the Once and Future King and him alone. You now protect all those with magic, too. But first, you must restore these lands to what they once were, for the lands of the Fisher King are to become a safe haven for all those with magic, where magic is practised freely and without limitation. Once this land is restored all those with magic will be welcome here and you are to protect them, as well as you kin who may remain beyond the land of the Fisher King."

"But how am I to do that?" Merlin questioned. "I don't have that type of power."

"You don't have magic, you are magic," Grettir answered, moving towards the bridge. "You are magic in a physical form. You are a creature of the Old Religion. You are Emrys the Immortal. You are King of the Druids. You are the Last High Priest of the Old Religion. You are the Last Dragon Lord. It is what you were born to do."

Merlin just stared at Grettir gaping at the list of titles the guardian of the bridge had bestowed upon him

"But I don't know enough about magic," Merlin finally regained his voice.

Grettir smiled and in his hands appeared a staff of white wood, "this is the Staff of Emrys, it was created by the Gods for you... And you alone can wield its power. It will aid you and it will guide you."

Behind them a branch snapped, Merlin's head snapped around as he looked over his shoulder to see what had caused the noise. Out of the trees stepped a man in purple and grey robes.

"Greetings, Emrys," The man said.

"Alator of the Catha," Merlin replied.

"It is good to see you are awake, at last." Alator bowed. "I fear the spell I used to put you to sleep was more powerful than I expected."

Merlin sighed, "You could have just told me to come here, you know?"

Alator smiled, "I feared they would kill you before you had the chance."

Merlin nodded sadly, "I fear I am no longer welcome in Camelot."

"It is time for you to start your quest, Magic," Grettir interrupted. "You have to succeed, for if you do not there will be no Albion and no Golden Age."

Merlin sighed, "So no pressure then."

)o(

Gaius sat at one of his workbenches, across from him sat Isolde and Tristan. They were staying with him until a guest quarter had been prepared for them, but there was a lot of work around the castle which needed to be done first. No servant or maid had the time to spare when more vital work needed to be done first. Upon arriving there, Tristan had explained to Isolde what Merlin had done and how he had been abducted moments after. It was an understatement to say she'd been shocked that the King's manservant had exposed himself as a sorcerer to save her life, someone he had only known for a few days prior. It also worried her greatly, that he'd been taken. Who knew what their intentions were or what they may he planning to do with him.

"I still can't believe it. That he risked being caught and executed for me," She muttered.

Gaius turned to her, from where he was examining potion vials.

"Merlin knows what it means to have loved and to have lost. Far too many who were close to him have died. He could not bear to see another go through that pain. Every time one of his kin are killed, it breaks his heart a little more because he fears it proves Arthur will never truly accept him," Gaius looked down sadly. "He is the most powerful warlock who has ever lived or will ever live, so if Arthur could not accept those with minor powers, what would he do if he found out his own manservant was the most powerful of them all?"

"But why me? Why did he not do it for someone else? I don't have magic like so many he must have seen die."

"I'm surprised he's lasted four years here without doing what he did sooner. Truth be told, he only mastered the power over life and death in his first year here, so those before that he could not save. Nor did he have the experience or control required to help, for he does not have an opportunity to learn or practice that one of his power would have had before the Purge. Every time someone was killed I feared Merlin would step in and stop it, I could see the way it broke him to watch his kin die. It seems he's finally had enough and knew it was time to change. He helped many escape the dungeons, over the years, but even then very few escaped the knights sent after them."

"He spoke of someone called Freya, who was she?" Tristan asked.

"That is not my tale to tell, I'm afraid," Gaius answered. "But he loved her and she died in his arms, much like Isolde did in yours."

Tristan gripped Isolde hand, "I will be forever grateful for what he did, for I could not live without you, Isolde."

Isolde smiled, "Then we will have to find him, thank him and keep him safe."

"If you wish to find him, you're best luck will be finding the Druids," Gaius offered. "They will be the most likely to know where he is."

"You do not seem that bothered by the fact he was abducted," Tristan pointed out with a slight frown.

Gaius raised an eyebrow at Tristan, "the man who took Merlin will do him no harm, of that I am sure. It was Alator of the Catha. He, like the Druids, is loyal to Merlin, as are all the Catha. He mostly likely feared Merlin would be killed, if he remained in Camelot and took him away. After all, Merlin would never willingly leave Camelot, even if he was sentenced to death."

)o(

Percival and Gwaine sat on the training field, side by side as they took a break from clearing the debris which littered the ground. Around them, servants worked tirelessly and as soon as the two knights had recovered a bit of strength, they'd be working once more. Nobody had spoken about Merlin since he was taken, the look of murderous rage on Arthur's face had been enough to even deterred Gwaine from trying. Gwaine had been one of the first to draw their sword but was too late to save him and had Merlin not froze them in place whilst he saved Isolde, Grainne would have jumped to Meelin's defence not to strike him down. News had spread fast that Merlin was a sorcerer, however, and how he had saved Isolde's life. Everyone in the castle knew about it, surprisingly the servants seemed to find it a great honour that one of their own would risk so much to save one person from death and another from heartbreak... Even though it had involved magic.

"So..." Gwaine muttered, looking around. "Let's talk about Merlin."

"What is there to say?" Percival replied. "He's a sorcerer and, if he ever returns to Camelot, the King will have his head."

Gwaine laughed, "Do you think he could turn water into ale?"

Percival rolled his eyes, "That's all you think about, isn't it?"

"Yep," Gwaine answered with a grin.

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence was more.

"It makes sense, though," Percival spoke suddenly, breaking the silence.

"What does?" Gwaine asked.

"Merlin having magic," Percival answered.

"How so?" Gwaine questioned.

"Well, think about it, Gwaine," Percival sighed. "How many times do tree branches snap and fall on the enemy? Or bandits drop their weapons, just as they are about to attack us from behind? Or arrows that suddenly fly off course? We always said it was luck, but it must have been Merlin, no one gets lucky, that many times."

Gwaine nodded, as he considered it.

"All those times, he seemed to know what was about to happen before it happened. All those times Merlin warned us not to trust people and it later turned out they were not trustworthy. All those times when he knew so much about magic, like that time when we passed through the Druid burial site or whatever it was," Gwaine glanced at Percival. "You don't seem to care that Merlin has magic."

"I don't," Percival shrugged slightly.

"Why? All Arthur ever goes on about is how evil magic is and how we should never trust it and how the kingdom will never be safe until magic is gone for good. He almost sounds like Uther sometimes!"

Percival shrugged again, "After my family were killed by Cenred's men, the Druids took me in for a while until I was old enough to look after myself. They used magic and they have never hurt anyone. Even when they are threatened, they do not harm people with magic. All I have ever seen them do is heal people and use magic to make their lives more comfortable. Magic is not evil, it is the person who uses it."

Gwaine nodded, "I have travelled to many places over the years, not all are like Camelot. There are places where magic is practised freely. I have seen the good it can do, but I have also seen the damage it can do. I agree with you. Magic isn't evil, it is how it is wielded."

)o(

Arthur stood staring out the window of his chambers. Behind him at the table sat Elyan, Gwen and Leon.

"How could he betray me like this?!" Arthur demanded. "After all the damage he has seen magic do! How could he do this?!"

Gwen looked at Arthur sadly. Merlin had been her best friend too and he still was her best friend.

"We don't know why he started practising magic. Maybe his mother got sick and he was forced to turn to magic to cure her. You know how much he cares for her, Arthur. Maybe his friend Will taught him, he was a sorcerer," Gwen reasoned.

Arthur turned and glared at her, "Magic is evil. All those who practice it are evil. It corrupts your soul."

"How do we know that for sure?" Gwen reasoned again.

"Gwen, magic got our father killed," Elyan said. "If it was not for magic, he would still be alive."

"NO!" Gwen exclaimed. "If it wasn't for magic, our father would have died! When that illness spread through the water and our father was affected, magic was used to cure him! I always thought it was strange how Merlin knew our father was better. He even went and told the Uther he was the sorcerer who did it, when I was the one who was accused of healing him! He wasn't lying."

She didn't wait for the men to respond, she just stood and fled from the room tears welling up in her eyes as she feared for the safety of her closest friend.

Elyan watched her go, before getting to his feet, "I need to go after her."

He left the room quickly, calling for Gwen to wait for him as he did so and leaving Arthur and Leon alone. Arthur finally sat down at the table and rested his head in his hands. Leon knew better than to say anything, waiting for the king to speak first. Everyone knew Merlin was Arthur best friend, even if Arthur could never admit it.

"Why would he betray us like this?" Arthur finally asked, sounding defeated.

Leon shook his head, "I have no idea, Sire."

Arthur looked at Leon, "did you ever suspect him?"

"He has been accused of sorcery time and time again," Leon answered.

"Just answer the question, Leon!" Arthur snapped, growing impatient.

"I always thought there was something different about him, but I would never have said it was magic," Leon replied.

Arthur sighed, "to make it worse, he must have been using magic under our noses for years. If what Guinevere said was true and he healed her father, then he must have had magic when I met him. It was only a couple of months after he became my manservant, you do not learn the Art of Sorcery that quickly."

"So, what are you going to do, Sire?" Leon asked.

"We have to find him," Arthur finally concluded. "If we can bring him back to Camelot, we can make sure he never practices sorcery again. Like Gaius stopped for my father."

"And what if he refuses?" Leon questioned.

Arthur took a deep breath, "Then I will have no choice but to sentence him to death, as the law states."


End file.
